Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da

Thirty-five years after their current lineup fell into place, the British outfit known as "Madness" has released their tenth studio album with the agreeable title, "Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da," which is being distributed by Entertainment One and Eone Music.

The CD release features a wonderful album cover designed by the famous British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake, and contains fourteen new tracks, including the singles "Death of a Rude Boy" and "My Girl 2," a companion song to one of the band very first releases, "My Girl." Their lineup is tight, as the six members continue their fourth decade as the core of the "Madness" sound, with the instantly recognizable accent of vocalist Suggs taking us on a tour of another slew of characters that have established Madness as expert storytellers with the ability to cross over demographics, appealing to both old and young alike.

Known here in the States primarily for their 1983 smash, "Our House," Madness has continued to have a successful presence in its native country, and "Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da" follows up the group’s 2009 release, "The Liberty of Norton Folgate," a love letter to the band’s home area, the East End of London parish of Spitalfields.

On this new album, the tempos are comfortably established in the middle ground, ranging from the profound "Misery" to the Latin stylings of "La Luna El Mariachi," with occasional forays into the more familiar ska-based grooves of the title song and the more sly, hip swinging beats of "Powder Blue" and "Never Knew Your Name."

Madness is currently touring the UK, with plans to tour the U.S. in 2013 to support "Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da."

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